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LifeCare® Poll: More Parents Concerned with Quality
Than Cost When Finding Child Care
WESTPORT, Conn., August 16, 2006 – Forty-five percent of parents responding to an online poll conducted by LifeCare®, Inc., a specialty care provider and longtime pioneer in the work/life industry, said that they are most concerned with finding “quality programming” when searching for child care/day care. Finding “affordable care” was top priority for just 23 percent. The poll, which asked parents to state their top priority when finding child care/day care, was conducted on LifeCare’s private web site throughout the month of July.
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Telephoning References:
A Crucial Step in Finding Care
Verifying a caregiver’s references is critical, as references can provide valuable insights about a caregiver that you may not get during the interview process. Call at least three references for each caregiver you’re considering, and use the following questions when speaking with current and past patrons.
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1) |
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How old is your child?
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2) |
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Are you currently using this provider?
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3) |
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If not, why did you stop using this provider?
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4) |
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How long was your child in this provider’s
care?
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5) |
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What did you like best about this provider?
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6) |
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Did you have any problems with this provider?
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7) |
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Were there any caregiver or staff problems,
such as high turnover or frequent absences?
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8) |
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How would you rate the quality of the care
and activities offered by this provider?
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9) |
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If the provider supplied backup or substitute
caregivers, were you happy with them? How often was it necessary to
use their services?
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10) |
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How would you rate the cleanliness of the facility
(floors, toys, restrooms, etc.)?
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11) |
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Did this provider demonstrate age-appropriate
expectations for the children?
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12) |
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Were you comfortable with the provider’s discipline
policy?
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13) |
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Did you feel that your child was cared for
appropriately when sick or unhappy? |
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Other responses to the poll were as follows:
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14% — Finding care during the days/hours I need
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8% — Finding care that is conveniently located
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3% — Finding care that can handle my child’s special needs
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7% — Other |
“Whatever a parent’s top priority when searching for child care, those with access to a high quality work/life program—such as LifeCare’s—have a distinct advantage,” said LifeCare CEO, Peter G. Burki. “Not only do we save parents the time and effort of researching each potential care provider but we also address all of the concerns they cited in our poll: quality, cost, hours of operations, services offered, even location. During our initial discussion with parents, we talk about what is most important to them and then we tailor our search results to fit their particular needs.”
LifeCare’s child care specialists are available by telephone and a private web site 24/7 to assist parents with locating licensed child care, day care, nursery and pre-school programs, specialized programs, and more. The company also offers an Access Backup Care program that helps parents arrange in advance for occasions on which their regular day care arrangements fall through.
Naturally, LifeCare does all of the background and licensing checks on behalf of its clients. Even so, most parents elect to visit and interview potential facilities themselves before making a final decision. “Once again, we’re able to help them to make this process a lot easier,” Burki says. “For example, LifeCare provides parents with educational materials and checklists for checking references (see sidebar), conducting interviews, evaluating providers, and checking up on qualifications and credentials. All of these things help to give parents the peace of mind they need to go to work every day and be as productive on the job as possible.”
Each month, LifeCare posts a poll on its private members’ web site asking individuals to share their thoughts and opinions on the latest issues and work/life trends. Past polls have addressed topics such as family caregiving challenges, healthy aging, flexible work arrangements, special needs children, and barriers to on-the-job productivity.
Notes to Editors
Peter G. Burki is available for interview.
About LifeCare®, Inc.
LifeCare provides clients with specialty care services and customized care plans for all aspects of their personal and professional lives, including child care and parenting, elder care and healthy aging, education and personal growth, financial and legal matters, and far beyond. LifeCare serves 1,500 client companies with 4.5 million individuals within corporations, health plans, government agencies and unions. For more information, visit www.lifecare.com.
Media contact: Michael Civiello
LifeCare, Inc.
pr1@lifecare.com
203-291-4170
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